The competition started its season on April 25, 2003 and ended on November 29, 2003. The championship was organized by the national association CBF . At the end of the season, the Palmeiras São Paulo celebrated the championship.
The competition was held in three phases. In the first round , the 24 clubs competed against each other in a group. A return leg was not planned. The best eight clubs moved on to the next round. The last two places in the table meant relegation to the Série C.
In the second round , the eight clubs met in two groups of four each. The encounters were decided in the return leg. The two group best moved into the final round. The group winner of the final round became champions. This and the runner-up rose to the first division in 2004 .
In the first round , the 24 clubs competed against each other in a group. A return leg was not planned. The best eight clubs moved on to the next round. The last two places in the table meant relegation to the Série C.
The ranking resulted from:
Number of points
Number of victories
Goal difference
Goals scored
Direct comparison
Náutico Capibaribe played on the first match day , April 26, 2003, against the Joinville EC and won the home game 4: 3. In the game Marcos Lucas was used irregularly by Náutico. The game was therefore considered a victory for Joinville.
On September 14th, matchday 21 , AA Anapolina met América FC (RN) at home . Anapolina won 2-1. The use of the player Babau by Anapolina in the match was recognized as irregular. The game was therefore rated as a victory for America.
The table was used to determine the placement of the individual teams in the season. At times it was used by the association to determine an eternal ranking list. It is made up of all the games played. In the sorting, reaching the respective final phase has priority over the points scored.
Alagoas
Amazon
.svg){kind=small}
Brasília
Ceará
Goiás
Minas Gerais
Pará
Paraná
Pernambuco
Rio de Janeiro
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Sul
Santa Catarina
São Paulo
